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Hidden Appian Functions Guide

The document discusses several undocumented functions in Appian, including try(), fn!lastError(), eval(), sort(), and lambda_appian_internal(), highlighting their potential uses and risks. It warns that these functions are not officially supported and may lead to stability issues in applications. The author, Martin Camacho, emphasizes caution in using these functions and suggests not sharing this information widely.

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nikhilbajaj962
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263 views10 pages

Hidden Appian Functions Guide

The document discusses several undocumented functions in Appian, including try(), fn!lastError(), eval(), sort(), and lambda_appian_internal(), highlighting their potential uses and risks. It warns that these functions are not officially supported and may lead to stability issues in applications. The author, Martin Camacho, emphasizes caution in using these functions and suggests not sharing this information widely.

Uploaded by

nikhilbajaj962
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

LOW CODE LAB

some awesome
HIDDEN FUNCTIONS
IN APPIAN
NOT!

FROM THE

OFFICIAL

DOCS

MARTIN CAMACHO
APPIAN ENTHUSIAST
LOW CODE LAB

These functions are not officially documented


by Appian and their use is generally discouraged
due to potential changes or removal in future
versions of Appian, which could impact the
stability and maintainability of Appian
applications.
LOW CODE LAB

try()
Allows for some level of error handling within
Appian. It can return a specified value if an
error occurs during the execution of the code it
wraps. However, it does not catch all types of
expression errors

fn!lastError()
Can be used to query the error from a try()
function, providing details about the error that
occurred
LOW CODE LAB

code example
In a scenario where you want to execute a piece
of code that might fail, for example, a division
operation that could potentially lead to a
division by zero error, you could use the try()
function to attempt the operation and
fn!lastError() to handle any error that occurs.
LOW CODE LAB

eval()
Evaluates text as SAIL code, similar to
JavaScript's eval function. It can be used to
dynamically execute code based on text input.

This usage of eval() allows for dynamic code


execution based on runtime values, which can be
particularly useful in scenarios where the code
structure needs to be flexible and determined at
runtime. However, it's important to note that
using such a function can introduce security
risks, similar to SQL injection, by allowing
potentially malicious code to be injected and
executed
LOW CODE LAB

code example
In this example, the eval() function is used to
dynamically execute the updatedictionary()
function. The string to be evaluated is passed as
an argument to eval(). This string includes an
Appian function (updatedictionary()) that updates
a dictionary by setting the value of a key.
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sort()
Sorts an array (text, number...) in ascending
order.
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lambda_appian_internal()
In many programming languages, a lambda function
is an anonymous function defined on the fly,
usually at the point where it's needed.
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copy to clipboard
Here is a code snippet that demonstrates how to
implement a "copy to clipboard" functionality in
Appian interfaces using hidden or undocumented
functions:
LOW CODE LAB

don’t tell your


coworkers about
this appian
functions

NOT!

FROM THE

OFFICIAL

DOCS

MARTIN CAMACHO
APPIAN ENTHUSIAST

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